


I'm Addicted to the Madness

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Azula is a Good Sister, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Murder, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, M/M, Modern AU, Protective Iroh, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko as a Sex Worker, dubcon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:55:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25422769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs
Summary: Ursa disappears and people become suspicious of Ozai. Those suspicions are confirmed when the police are called ot his residence and he's found burning the face of his 13-year-old son. Zuko and Azula move in with Uncle Iroh and try to adjust to life as normal people. Azula has goals and Zuko wants to do whatever he has to do to help her get there.
Relationships: Aang & Azula (Avatar), Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula & Katara (Avatar), Azula & Mai & Ty Lee, Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Zhao/Zuko (Avatar), mentioned Jet/Sokka
Comments: 128
Kudos: 474





	1. Till Death do Us part

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic that written to get to one (1) scene based on "Addict" from Hazbin Hotel. There's a lot of story around it before we get there and there will be a happy ending. It'll just take a while....

t all started when Ursa disappeared. Ozai was harsher with Zuko than he had been before, barely even bothering to hide the pure animosity he held toward his disappointing son. Azula was even more of a favorite than before, allowed to sit at his desk while he covered important business meetings and generally do whatever she wanted.

That's when she heard it.  _ "Keep him silent. I'll pay him off easy. I'll pay him off for the rest of his life if that's what it takes. No one else can know what happened to Ursa. That burial stays secret, from everyone." _

Azula wasn't completely sure what happened next. One minute she heard that conversation. The next, she was crying and Zuko was standing between her and father, begging him to leave her alone. Then there was screaming. It might've been hers, she wasn't sure. All she was sure about was her brother, someone she thought was weak, took the brunt of her father's anger to protect her. It wasn't until she'd calmed down later that she remembered crying and calling the police. 

There was an investigation. She was asked a lot of questions. She didn't know how to answer all of them. She testified in court. She spent a lot of time at the hospital, silently begging Zuko to wake up. Somewhere in the middle of it, she moved in with her Uncle, another person she'd written off as weak. She remembered him protecting her from the crowds; he broke a camera for her once. She was starting to think her father was wrong in more ways than one.

Zuko woke up, blind in his left eye and horribly scarred. She didn't leave his side for a whole week. She told him it was to help him around the new house. She'd never tell him it was because she was afraid of losing him again.

She remembered spending most of her childhood praising her father for his strength and power. At the age of eleven, she decided Zuko was stronger. Ozai was prepared to harm a small child because he was too stupid to have his conversations in a more private area. Zuko stopped him even though he knew what would happen.

Iroh paid for therapy for both of them. Dr. Bumi was strange but he made her laugh when she felt like crying so he wasn't that bad. He let her punch his pillows when she was angry and talked her through breathing exercises for when she didn't have a pillow to punch. He's the reason she decided to study psychology. She wanted to make small kids feel a little less small sometimes.

As time passed, she worried about Zuko. One day she noticed he gave her more food than he gave himself and wondered how long he'd been doing that. He worried himself half to death every time she got so much as a paper cut but it was a battle to get him to stay in bed when he had pneumonia. He was always ready to help her with her homework but she caught him doing his own homework right before classes started once or twice. She never said anything though; she figured he had a reason for what he was doing and probably wouldn't stop even if she brought it up. She did bring it up with Iroh once or twice but he didn't have much advice to offer aside from reminding her they both had to look out for each other. She started taking up plating dinner for everyone and if he noticed she gave them the same amount of food he didn't say anything. She'd take that for now.

She started worrying about him again when she took AP classes in high school. Zuko got a job and started putting money in a bank account. Iroh was concerned, told him if he needed money he could work at the Jasmine Dragon. Zuko declined, said he already had a job as a waiter and he was paid well. Azula didn’t understand why he wanted to work somewhere that wasn’t Uncle’s shop until AP test prep books started showing up. The way she understood Zuko’s logic is that it would be counterintuitive to make money from Uncle and then spend it on Azula. But by working somewhere else, Uncle’s money could go where it ‘belonged’ and Zuko didn’t have to feel guilty for ‘taking’ from the family funds. She didn’t like it, but it made sense.

Zuko worked long hours, often very late ones. Still, he was there every morning to walk with her to school and never left until after he was sure she didn’t need any homework help. He seemed exhausted but she didn’t say anything. She just made him some sleepytime tea for when he got home and gave him some extra hugs. It was the least she could do.

Zuko started working more when he graduated. He said he’d gotten a promotion at work, which was backed up by him not only buying him all the AP prep books she would need but also some SAT and ACT books. Then there were all the gifts. Anything she needed, anything she asked for, anything she mentioned in passing that she wanted, it would always show up within a week. She wondered just how much of his money was actually going into his bank account. 

Then it was time for her to start applying for schools and that’s when Zuko really started to worry her. Initially, she was more concerned with paying for application fees and finding scholarships but Zuko started supplying her with whatever she needed, as usual. But then he came home one day and said he wanted to move out. He claimed he’d gotten another promotion at work and didn’t need to stay with them anymore. He would still help with Azula’s finances of course, not that he would need to with her free-ride to Princeton (a well-earned reward for her perfect SAT, ACT, and GPA), but he was leaving. Something about commute time. Uncle Iroh protested but something told her that wouldn’t make a difference. She figured Zuko discovered he could support himself completely and so that’s what he wanted to do; save Uncle’s money for Azula while Zuko supported himself. That was just like him.

If she thought it would’ve made a difference, she would’ve told him to stay. She would’ve told him how much he meant to her. She would’ve told him she was still afraid of losing him almost ten years after their world was changed forever. But he only took a day to pack up his room and move and she didn’t have time to tell him.

She was distracted from her minor grief by all the orientation and registration activities. She met a few friends during the spirit camp activities, namely Katara and her strange Monk friend, and ran into Mai and Ty Lee, two girls she hadn’t seen since she had to leave her private school during the investigation. It felt like everything was happening all at once at times and she was a little ashamed of herself when she realized she’d barely given Zuko a proper thought for over two weeks, let alone a phone call or a visit. But he was happy for her when she did. He was proud of her for going to school and choosing a major she loved and already planning her career. She was so relieved that he wasn’t upset with her for forgetting about him that she didn’t notice the way his voice hitched every now and then. 

She would hate herself for that later.


	2. This is a Brand New Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara welcomes Azula into her world and very much enjoys what that entails ft. Sokka being a Bi Disaster TM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna wait until I had the whole thing written to post any more but then I wrote Zuko's chapter and I just needed to post a little more for the serotonin boost. Hope you enjoy!

Katara met Azula during Honors College orientation. They were assigned partners for the “talk to each other and find out what you have in common” game. Katara learned three things about Azula that day. 1) She has an older brother. 2) Her Uncle Iroh is objectively the second-best person to ever exist, with her brother being the best. 3) She lost her mother when she was young. Katara related hard to that last one.

When they left, she asked Azula to join her for lunch before they had to go back to the orientations for their respective majors. Shockingly, she agreed and they walked to the main plaza to meet up with Katara’s boyfriend Aang, who was having a dance-off with their friend Ty Lee at the time.

As soon as they arrived, Azula was bowled over in a flurry of pink. “AZULA!!! Is that you??? Omigosh it’s been, like, forever!! What happened to you?” Ty Lee was practically vibrating with excitement. “Guys, this is the Azula I told you about before!!!” 

The Azula? THE Azula? This straight-laced Developmental Psych major with a massive amount of love for her brother was the same Azula that set a teacher’s car on fire for being too ‘friendly’ with his female students? The same Azula that treated playground games like a battlefield? The same Azula that could’ve taken over the city as a ten-year-old if she really felt like it? 

Why did that actually kind of make sense?

“Yes, it’s me, Azula. You can get off me now, Ty Lee. I can see you haven’t changed a bit.” As annoyed as she looked brushing the dust off of herself, Katara could see the humor in her eyes. “Am I so fortunate that Mai would be here too or is it just you?”

“Mai’s here too!!! She’s just getting us water. Oh! And this is Aang and Katara! Aang was in my dance troupe for four years and Katara’s his cute girlfriend!”

Katara blushed and Aang proudly smooched her cheek. “Hey, Azula. I’m glad you and Katara are already friends. Now we can all be friends!”

Azula scoffed but there wasn’t any heat behind it. “With Ty Lee around, I’m not sure I would have much choice. It’s nice to meet you both.”

Mai joined them and she and Azula shared a much less energetic, but no less sweet, reunion as they walked to the student common area to stuff their faces with junk food. They spent most of their lunch listening to Ty Lee recount stories of her and Azula and Mai getting into all kinds of trouble at school and Katara cannot for the life of her figure out how none of them were expelled until Mai reminds her that they’re all from rich families. Azula gets really quiet after that comment for some reason and doesn’t speak again until Ty Lee asks where she went after winter break. Even then she just said that there were family issues and offered to buy ice cream for everyone.

After that, the group just started hanging out on campus a lot. Azula and Mai often walked to classes together because of their shared colleges with Developmental and Abnormal Psych. Aang and Ty Lee started a small casual dance club and always dragged their far more introverted friends into it whenever possible. Sometimes they get dinner together and gripe about their professors.

Ever the studious ones, Katara and Azula used their matching late-afternoon breaks to go to the library to write papers together. After about a month of these regular hangouts, Azula handed her a short story. “There’s a publication that goes around the English department and that’s my minor so I figured I’d try to write something for it. I’d give it to Mai to look over but she’s busy and I trust you with this.” It was a story about a little girl who idolized her father and wanted nothing more than to be like him. But then one day he betrayed her and she might’ve died if not for her brother. The girl was overwhelmed with her conflicting feelings over the man she once idolized and the boy she once scorned. She had to relearn what it meant to be strong, what it meant to love someone, and her brother was there as a shining example every step of the way. Katara knew this meant something, that Azula would write this story and share it with her. But she didn’t pry; she took what she was given and gave her story back with a glowing review.

Thanks to some lucky scheduling, it became a tradition for them to all have lunch together in the Student Center and talk about their classes and go over homework together. They never shared classes but that didn’t mean they couldn’t study together. “It’s actually better if none of you understand it,” Azula explained one day while they were prepping for midterms. “If I can explain it to you, I can ace it on the test.” Katara learned three more things about Azula during these sessions. 1) She had a strong perfectionist streak. 2) She’d learned breathing exercises when she was young to tame her easily triggered frustration. 3) A call from her brother was the only thing that could drag her away from her textbooks.

Apparently Azula’s tactics worked because they all reported back with high marks on their exams. Azula recommended that they celebrate at her Uncle’s tea shop. “It’s the best tea in town and he loves me so we’ll get a discount.” She also promised an appearance from her brother, something that excited Mai and Ty Lee and intrigued Katara. To make it fair, she agreed to drag along Sokka. The more the merrier, right?

Uncle Iroh was exactly who she expected him to be. He was a kind, funny old man who welcomed them all with open arms. “Any friend of my favorite niece is welcome here.” He gave them all free tea despite Azula’s protests that they could afford to pay at least a little for such a quality product. Katara wasn’t about to complain about free tea though she had to admit they were getting an awful lot of it. Five kids in need of caffeine went through tea like grandmothers at a bridge tournament.

She lost that train of thought when Azula suddenly bolted out of her seat and nearly tackled someone at the door. Katara learned three new things in that moment. 1) She learned that Azula was nowhere near the realm of joking about how much she cared about her brother. 2) She learned that Zuko was shorter than she expected him to be. 3) She learned that Sokka was completely unable to contain his Bi Panic. 

She couldn’t contain her giggle when she saw her brother staring at the newcomer with wide eyes and a slack jaw. She had to elbow him in the side to return him to the human world so he could properly introduce himself. He was never going to live this down if she had anything to say about it.


	3. Yeah You Fell in Love....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka is a Disaster TM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I present to you this last bit of tooth-rotting fluffy joy.

Sokka couldn’t believe it. Heaven dropped an angel right onto the surface of the earth for him in the form of a beautiful boy with a scar on his left eye and a voice that added a haunting melody to their conversations. When Katara said she wanted to introduce him to some new friends, he wished she’d told him a potential future boyfriend would be included in that package. None of his extensive training in interviewing could possibly have prepared him for this moment. 

Katara had to not-so-gently elbow him in the side to make his mouth work again. "Hi! You must be this Zuko I've heard so much about. Name's Sokka." Then Zuko turned towards him and oh  _ fuck _ he's prettier up close. How was he supposed to handle this???

He barely even registered Zuko's reply. "Hi, Zuko here. But I guess you already knew that…." Why was his blush even prettier??? He couldn't decide if he should thank the Universe or curse it.

Azula ushered him into a seat and went off to grab him some food while Mai and To Lee bombarded him with questions about what happened to him after "It" went down. What "It" was was a mystery to Sokka but the more important mystery of the moment was how he hadn't noticed Katara giving him that shit-eating grin. She was never going to let him live this down….

He ended up not speaking to Zuko much that afternoon outside of handing him his tea and saying goodbye. Katara teased him about it for the better part of a week but it’s not like he had a good rebuttal for it. He didn’t even have a phone number to make up for it!

But he wasn’t going to give up hope yet. He started hanging around the Jasmine Dragon a lot more, seeing as that was the most likely place he’d run into him again if he ever did at all. He didn’t like tea that much but since he was mostly financially independent there was nothing to stop him from spending a very questionable amount of money on it on the chance that he would run into Zuko again. 

And run into Zuko he did. And Zuko was still cute and awkward and funny and cute and wonderful and after a few weeks, Sokka (mostly) got over his Disaster Bi Energy and could hold a normal conversation with him. Normally he would turn the charm all the way up at this point but Zuko seemed guarded and resistant to any super obvious advances. Not that it mattered. Sokka was always down to make a new friend.

The great thing about having a sister in college is that there was always something to invite friends too. Soka invited Zuko to a weekly game night with the gang. Movies in the park with the gang. Football games with the gang. Anything that the gang was doing, he got Katara to invite him and then he would invite Zuko.

Initially, his efforts were fruitless. Either Zuko was busy with work or it just wasn’t something he was interested in. But the squeaky wheel gets the grease as they say and lo and behold, Zuko finally started saying yes.For the first few months, he would come to a movie night with them. Sure he barely looked Sokka’s way and just spent the whole night hanging out with his sister but baby steps were still steps.

One fateful day, Zuko agreed to come to game night. In an odd turn of events, he and Sokka ended up paired against Katara and Azula in a bowling competition. Now, Sokka was pretty good at it but Katara was better so he wasn’t super jazzed about his chances of winning. Then everything changed when Zuko got up to bowl. He was  _ amazing _ . He scored a nearly perfect game and it looked like he was barely even trying! Sokka cheered loudly for every strike and spare and pulled Zuko into a tight hug when the scoreboard confirmed their win. And then, miracle of miracles,  _ Zuko hugged back. _

After that, things started shifting for them. He and Zuko hung out without the gang, claiming older brother solidarity. Zuko made a point of stopping to talk to him whenever he came by the tea shop. Gang game nights were soon joined by Older Brother game nights. Zuko started sitting next to Sokka during Movies in the Park. Somewhere in all of it, he got Zuko's number and discovered they could spend hours talking about Sokka's work or whatever Katara and Azula were getting up to on campus (apparently a former arsonist and a budding environmentalist could get in a lot of trouble) and how Uncle Iroh was just the best in general. Sometimes the conversation dipped into work and Zuko was always happy to listen to Sokka go on a rant about stupid coworkers or how his boss was riding him unfairly but he always dodged questions about his own job. He never said anything more than he had an insane schedule and his coworkers were decent.

Something changed again about six months in. On an otherwise completely normal day, Zuko called him and his phone showed a request for a video call. Not one to be camera shy, Sokka accepted and ten seconds later he was rewarded with the glorious image of Zuko with bedhead. Shortly after he was given Zuko with bedhead and blushing. Apparently a sleep-addled Zuko was not an observant one when he was making calls, not that Sokka was going to complain. 

After that, video calls became a part of the routine. One call per week became two, then two became three. Sometimes Zuko declined the request because he "looked like shit", something Sokka doubted was even possible, but he didn't mind. He liked talking to Zuko and maybe throwing the occasional flirty comment in. Zuko surprised him by sometimes returning the flirt and he definitely didn't mind that.

At some point, Sokka realized that in becoming friends with Zuko he'd only started falling harder. He thought about Zuko when he woke up. He thought about Zuko when he was walking to work and he saw something cool or funny. He thought about Zuko when he drank tea. He thought about Zuko before he went to bed. Zuko was pretty and funny and smart and he have Sokka a warm feeling inside whenever they talked or sat next to each other or shared a joke or did anything together.

He couldn't pine forever. He had to ask Zuko out properly. He had to know if he felt the same way. He couldn't screw this up.

On their next video call, Sokka got straight (or bi) to the point. "Zuko, we've been hanging out together a lot and I figured out I really like hanging out with you. Like, a lot. I was wondering…. Would you like to go on a date with me?"


	4. ....But You Fell Deeper in this Pit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko's side of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......You read the tags.

When Zuko was thirteen, he saved his sister from their father's wrath. When Zuko was fifteen, he realized that Azula had goals and he didn't. When Zuko was sixteen, he decided that helping Azula in any way he could would be his goal. That’s why he went looking for a job, so he could get her any study materials and school supplies she might need without taking from Uncle’s money.

Club Caldera wasn’t his first choice but they did have the appeal of higher-than-average pay. Plus, it was far enough away that no one he knew would judge him for working there but close enough that he wouldn’t have to do anything to crazy to get there on time. They hired him practically on the spot once they were sure they had a ‘uniform’ that would fit him (he decided not to question the legality of having a minor walk around in leather shorts and a collar) and his relatively open schedule got him a lot of shifts from the start. Sure the leering glances bothered him but his boss assured him it worked with his ‘persona’. He didn’t know how to tell them that ‘virgin that doesn’t like being touched by men twice his age’ was just his personality.

That’s how he first met  _ him _ . Mr. Zhao, head of Raiders Industries. Back before his father’s fall into disgrace, Zhao was a challenger. Now, he was soaring with money coming in from every economic industry in the city and hands in the pockets of every politician and judge who might get in his way. Zhao was a dangerous man and somehow, Zuko ended up in his sights. So Zuko was very polite. He got drinks for him even if he wasn’t in his section. When the manager gave the okay, he sat down and talked for a few minutes. Even without the money and power behind his name, Zhao was an imposing man and Zuko very much wanted to stay on his good side. Apparently the club owners did too because Zhao got the same table every time and Zuko was allowed to keep the tips he got from him instead of putting them in the tip pool. He tried not to think too much about it; he was doing this for Azula and as long as she had what she needed, he would put up with all the imposing men in the world.

It didn’t surprise him at all that as soon as he turned eighteen he was given the offer to go onstage. He was actually kind of grateful since that would give him a reason not to be so close to Zhao. They gave him some training to make sure he would actually be a good fit and apparently the dance classes his mother signed him up for as a kid had done some good because he was ‘a natural’ as his boss put it. He couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.

Being ‘a natural’ meant a few things. Mainly, it meant that he would not get his goal of being on a smaller stage in a dark corner that no one would look at. No, he would get the main stage where everyone would be able to see him. The very thought of that alone would make him too nervous to function if he didn’t know being a dancer meant he never had to actually leave the stage. People could look all they wanted but that was as far as it could go and Zuko was more than okay with that.

Another big thing that came with being ‘a natural’ was having the right persona. Since he was so good, his boss decided that his usual prude act wasn’t going to cut it. He needed a more sultry demeanor befitting of his abilities. So Zuko went from being ‘the virgin’ to being ‘the tease’. At least, that;s what his boss called it. He wasn’t going to argue with the guy who signed his paychecks.

His first night on the pole was nerve wracking and borderline terrifying. He almost backed out when they introduced him. But then the music started playing. He’s still not entirely sure what came over him but he suddenly felt calmer. He was going to go out and dance for a group of old creeps who would throw money at him if they wanted to and he was calm. It’s like the music took over his body, muscle memory mixed with a bit of improv. No wonder he was considered a natural. Not even seeing Zhao sitting in the front row despite his usual table being much closer to the back could throw him off, even if it was surprising. Zuko felt alive. He felt good. He felt talented. He felt wanted. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt any of those things. It was almost euphoric, being able to let go like that. He could almost forget why he was there. He could almost forget he was being watched. He could almost consider his tips just a bonus.  _ Almost. _

That's when he was first introduced to the not-so-legal side of the business. Not all of the dancers he worked with were just dancers; some worked as escorts and would join the audience after their show. Zuko got an offer to be one after a few months and he refused. Even if it would be a nice raise, there was no way he would be able to pull it off. Working as a waiter in another establishment? Easy to write off as needing a little independence. Being a dancer in a nightclub? Just say he got a promotion and hide how sore he was. But going home with another man to satisfy his needs? The thought itself made him shudder. He wasn't that desperate. Even if he was an adult, there was no way he could come to with something believable to cover his late hours and all that. If he ever took a position like that, which he didn't think he would, he'd need to be in his own space.

All the while, he was content to watch Azula thrive. Any discomfort, any weirdness he ever felt at work, all of it was worth it to see her happy. She had a perfect GPA, sitting right at the top of her class where she wanted to be. She had her life planned out on a dream board he hung above her bed. She was the captain of every sports team and the president of every club she joined. Azula was thriving and Zuko prided himself on knowing he had a small part in it. Any study materials, sports equipment, fundraisers, any bit of help she needed, he was there to help.

When Azula got into the college of her dreams, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do to help her next. Sure he could give her money for textbooks but she was talking about working at the teashop for that sort of thing. "I'm an adult, Zuko," she reminded him. "I have to pay for my own stuff at some point." He knew she didn't mean any harm by it but knowing she wasn't going to need his help anymore stung. 

The day after Azula got her acceptance letter, Zuko got a text from an unknown number. 

_ Aren't you tired of feeling useless? _

**_Who is this? How did you get this number?_ **

_ I'll just say you know me and let you figure it out. Now answer my question. _

**_I'm not useless. My family needs me._ **

_ Sure, now they do. But what happens later? What happens when Azula starts earning her own money? What happens when she has a problem you can't solve for her? _

**_What are you talking about? How do you know who my sister is?_ **

_ Your family name of course. What's going to happen when people see that on her application? _

**_My sister is perfectly capable of reaching her dreams. I'm going to block you now._ **

_ You're not even going to let me tell you how I can help you help her? Zuko, I'm hurt. You're normally much nicer to me. _

**_What does that even mean? Who ARE you?_ **

_ Think about it for five seconds. That brain of yours has to be good for something other than dancing.  _

**_If this is who I think it is, you're even more fucked up than I thought you were._ **

Zuko shouldn’t do that. He shouldn’t let himself get heated at Zhao. He knew that, anyone who had anything to do with Zhao knew that. But he hadn’t had to actually speak with Zhao for about a year and a half now. Maybe he just seemed less scary now that Zuko wasn’t right next to him. But what did he want with him now?

_ Even if you were wrong, that's not a nice thing to say to someone who's trying to help you. _

**_Blocking you for real this time._ **

_ Come now Zuko. All I'm asking is a dinner date and I'll explain everything. You don't even have to agree if you don't like my terms. I just want to talk. We haven't done that since you moved to the stage. _

**_Yep, definitely more fucked up than I thought. Leave me alone._ **

_ You’re being rude again.  _

**_Very observant._ **

_ Come now, Zuko. You wouldn’t want your sister to lose her scholarship, would you? _

What was this?

**_Are you serious?_ **

_ You know I have friends. One of them happens to work in the scholarship office at her university. You put the pieces together. _

**_So if I don’t have dinner with you my sister gets screwed over?_ **

_ I knew you were smart. _

Well he was fucked.

**_When and where?_ **

_ Tomorrow night. 8:00. I’ll send a car to pick you up at work. _

**_K_ **

It was a petty response but he figured that would be the last shot he’d be able to get after their “discussion”. He had a pretty good idea of what exactly Zhao wanted from him but that wasn’t the worrying part. How had Zhao figured out who he was? How had he gotten his number? How did he know about his family and, more importantly, Azula? He knew Zhao was powerful but he’d never gone by his name at the club, even when he was a waiter; everyone had nicknames on the clock. Just how much power did Zhao have?

As promised, he went to the dinner and sat through the whole thing with as many manners as he could muster. Zhao’s offer was simple: Zuko would work at the club as an escort with the understanding that Zhao was his only customer. In return, Zhao would pay him well and do small favors for Azula behind the scenes. If he refused, Zuko could continue working as a dancer but Azula would have an extremely hard career ahead of her. What choice did he have but to agree to that? He knew Azula was very capable and would be just fine without Zhao’s help but could she really work against him? No. There was only one option.

Zuko announced that he would be moving out the next day. It’s nothing against them, he explained. He was just growing up and he felt he needed a little more independence and space. He’d gotten a promotion and he needed to dedicate more time to work. He’d visit every week and it wasn’t that far but he had to go. He expected Iroh’s protests and Azula’s semi-reluctant acceptance but that didn’t make it any easier for them to go. He just couldn’t stay in that apartment when he was working as a call boy. He wouldn’t put them through that shameful realization.

And at first, he could convince himself that was fine. Zhao just wanted sex out of him so it’s not like he was chained to him forever. Zhao would tire of him and drop him eventually, right? He just needed to not piss him off until then. 

They had a pretty simple routine. Zuko would dance and then go into the audience like the rest of the escorts. He’d go around to the other tables to keep up appearances but he always ended up at Zhao’s. He’d be cute and flirty like his onstage persona and wait until they got to Zhao’s ridiculously lavish apartment to let it fall into soft submission. “Everyone gets Sultry Zuko. I want Sub Zuko all to myself,” he’d explained. This is where Zuko would turn himself over and take what he was given without complaint. Depending on Zhao’s say, it could be anywhere from domestic and relaxing to borderline terrifying.

Most days, things would be something resembling normal. They would have sex, Zhao would clean him up and then he would go back to his empty apartment. On bad days, the sex would be rough and Zuko would be punished for the sins of the world. Zhao would happily remind him he was a dirty whore and no one would love him like this. His safeword didn’t matter and it was a miracle if he would get out of bed the next day. On good days, it would be soft core and he’d be asked to spend the night. He’d get breakfast in bed and Zhao would call him sweet things like “darling” or “sweetheart”. He almost hated those days more because it all felt so normal, spooning in Zhao’s giant bed and walking around in soft bathrobes like he wasn’t being blackmailed into it all.

Sometimes he imagined telling someone about it. He imagined telling Azula and could only see her getting angry at him for getting himself in this mess in the first place and dragging her into it. He imagined telling Iroh and he could only see how disappointed he would be that his nephew fell so low. Sometimes he imagined telling his father and got a lecture on how none of this would’ve happened if he’d just stayed in his lane all those years ago. 

Sometimes Zuko thought about going to the police. A crisis hotline. His boss. A random person on the street. Not a single scenario ended in his favor. Either he was shunned or he was silenced. He knew Zhao watched him, he had to with how often he commented on how Azula was faring and wondering why he had no social life. As if anyone would want to be friends with him.

He was beginning to accept this as his life. He had his calls and weekly visits with Iroh and Azula, those shining days where he felt something other than pain. And he had his almost daily appointments with Zhao, where he tried to block everything out until it was time for him to leave. He didn't go out with friends and he never bothered with a dating life. Any hope of that endeavor had been squashed after a particular incident at the club.

A newcomer who wasn't aware of Zuko's situation, Long Feng he remembered, tried to pick him up with the promise of a hefty tip. Zuko entertained the idea as part of his job but it was hard for him to get away to Zhao naturally. Thankfully, Zhao came over and pulled him away. He'd never seen him so angry before; apparently he was a possessive lover if the size of the hickeys he left was anything to go by. He didn't think much of it since Zhao was always keeping him close but when Long Feng's body was pulled out of the river a few days later, Zuko lost hope that he was going to make it out of this. You don't have potential competition killed off unless you want someone around for a while.

But it was worth it. Azula was thriving. He did give her a little extra money for textbooks and he mentally filed away the internships she was thinking about for the future. He was certain she could get them on her own but it wouldn't hurt for him to use his own "credentials" to give her a little boost, right?

And then Zuko met  _ him _ .

Azula had begged him to come to the teashop to meet her new friends and even if he was sore all over he couldn't resist her Powerful Puppy Pout. He wore long sleeves to cover up the bruises and stifled his groan when she nearly bowled him over in a hug. She started dragging him over to the table and introducing everyone when he locked eyes with quite possibly the most gorgeous man on the planet. He was just a bit taller than Zuko with  _ very _ nice arms (is that a normal thing to notice about a person???) and he had the most bluest eyes he'd ever seen. Blue eyes that were staring directly at him. Well, likely less at him and more at the scar. He also had a very nice voice. A nice voice that was speaking to him.

Oh boy.

"Hi, Zuko here. But I guess you already knew that…." He said Zuko's name of course he already fucking knew it!!! He was going to get soooo much teasing for this later. Azula could be ruthless when she wanted to and when it come to him having crushes, she definitely wanted to.

He really tried his best to focus on his old friends Mai and Ty Lee, who he hadn't seen is so very long, but he felt his gaze being pulled back to Sokka, the beautiful boy with a lovely voice and perfect arms and dazzling smile and-

Everything he couldn't have. He couldn't have Sokka. Sokka was normal. Zuko was anything but. He needed to stay away and repress his feelings because there was no way it would work, not in a million years.

It would be much easier to keep that promise to himself if Sokka wasn’t suddenly  _ there _ all the time. Every time he came into the tea shop, he was there with at least five mugs around him and waving with that stupid cute smile on his face. Sokka seemed insistent on him hanging out with the “Gaang” more, always asking him to football games and movie nights and every other event under the sun. Zuko politely declined him each time and planned on continuing to do so until Sokka mentioned that the campus would be screening “Love Amongst Dragons” and he couldn’t say “no” to watching his favorite movie, could he? So he went. Little did he know that it would be the start of a slippery slope. One movie night turned into two. Then three. Then four. At first he only went because Azula asked him to but then Sokka also kept showing up and it was dark and would it really be so bad if he stared just a little bit?

But then It happened. It being Azula dragging him to bowling night to celebrate everyone doing so well on their finals. Zuko really didn’t want to go because it was his only night off for the week but he could never tell her no so he forced himself to at least try to have a good time. And somehow, he did. Maybe it was getting to eat some shitty food that wasn’t ramen noodles. Maybe it was hanging out somewhere that wasn’t work. Maybe it was that Sokka was there and they shared some jokes. Regardless, this was the first time he’d felt normal in months and he was willing to roll with anything, even getting roped into a bowling competition. He was actually pretty good at bowling since that was one of his and Azula’s sibling rivalries when they were still with Ozai. He hadn’t played much since then but most of it was muscle memory at this point and, as such, he carried Team Big Bro to victory.

Then Sokka hugged him. And he melted into it like the affection-starved bitch that he was.

Another step down the slippery slope.

Now he and Sokka were actually hanging out. Zuko actually stopped to talk to him when he was at the tea shop. Now they hung out just the two of them. Now Sokka had his number and they were talking. Now Zhao was aware of his presence.

“How is Sokka?” he’d ask, as if that was a normal thing to bring up after sex.

“...Fine as far as I know.”

“Good. He’s a bright kid. City really could use a journalist like him.”

Zuko found himself living two different lives. He lived one with Zhao, a life of uncertainty and an unhealthy amount of acceptance. He lived another in the tea shop, a semi-normal life with friends and family and flirting. Well, maybe not flirting because he didn’t want to get too comfortable with it but Sokka was so damn charming and cute and nice and so freaking datable how could he not?

It seemed like he could keep doing that forever. Just let himself have this double life and pretend he wasn’t taking advantage of Sokka’s apparent feelings just to satisfy his own fantasies.

Then there was that phone call.  _ That _ phone call. The one that turned his life upside down and made him face reality.

_ “Zuko…. Would you like to go on a date with me?” _

That shouldn’t be such a hard question to answer. But it was. It had been for years and it probably always would be. Questions like that stopped being easy the second he set foot into Club Caldera. You’d think it would be easy for him to say no considering that A) dating Sokka would involve telling Sokka about his work which would inevitably end in him breaking it off because who wants to date a whore and B) would put Sokka’s life and Azula’s career in danger because Zhao was a possessive son of a bitch.

But he liked Sokka. A lot. He’d allowed himself to entertain the fantasy of being with Sokka for so long that he didn’t want to let it go. Ever.

But he had to.

“Sokka…. I can’t. I’m sorry. It’s not you it’s just- I have to go.” He hung up and threw his phone across the room, quietly sobbing into his pillow. He wasn’t sure what hurt worse: reality crushing his soul, or seeing Sokka’s heart break on the screen.

The next time he saw Zhao, he was praised for being so strong. “I didn’t think you had it in you to turn him down. Shame though. He’s a nice-looking boy; I might’ve invited him.” He laughed and Zuko punched him. It was a mistake and he suffered for it but it was worth it just to see the surprise on his pervert face. He’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Zhao could take away his love life and his self worth but he’d be damned if this man left him completely broken.


	5. You're Not Letting it Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka deals with things

Katara hit him lightly with her rolled up paper.“Sokka, quit moping and pay attention to my speech. If you’re just gonna sit there, you may as well be useful.”

“I’m not  _ moping _ . I’m  _ depressed _ .”

“Isn’t ‘depressed’ just a fancy word for ‘sad’?”

“Katara, you ignorant slut!” Sokka was rewarded with a pillow to the face. “Fine, fine, I’ll listen to your speech.”

He tried to pay attention. He really did. Was it really his fault if he couldn’t stop thinking about Zuko and how he’d apparently horribly misread everything? He was so sure Zuko had felt the same way but-

“Sokka! You aren't even listening!”

“I’m sorry I just- I need a minute okay?”

She gave him one of those Looks, like he was some kind of experiment for her to figure out. “...This is about Zuko, isn’t it?”

“....Maybe.”

She sighed and sat down on the couch next to him. “It’s okay if you’re still in mourning Sokka. I think we were all a little surprised by that.”

“I’m  _ not _ in mourning.”

“Sokka, even Azula picked up on how much you like him. Why do you think she gave you the stink eye for so long?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. I just figured she didn’t like my tips or something.” But it did make sense that she made sure never to give him that look when Zuko was around and she did interrogate him about his hopes for the future that one time. Had she just been vetting him?

Katara rolled her eyes. “Look, do whatever you need to do to get over this. Talk to Zuko. Talk to someone else. Go fuck a rando. I love you but it’s been a month and you haven’t even gone to the tea shop yet. Uncle Iroh keeps asking about you and I never know what to tell him.”

Sokka knew she was right. At some point, he would at least have to go see their friends. But he didn’t really want to when just seeing the tea shop reminded him of Zuko. “...I’ll call Jet later.”

Katara patted his arm and got up. “I’ll be at the tea shop until dinner if you need me.”

He spend a good hour continuing to mope on the couch before he finally dialed. “Hey….”

“Sokka, babe! Where you been? I missed you….” Jet was his ex-boyfriend of two years now. Despite the initially awkwardness of the Breakup Atmosphere, he was one of Sokka’s close friends and they texted fairly often. Of course, Sokka had been neglecting him for the whole Zuko issue but that just meant he could vent a little longer under the guise of getting Jet up to speed.

“I have a problem. A very cute problem. A very cute ongoing problem.”

“Sokka! You had a cute problem and you  _ waited _ to tell me??? I’m insulted.”

“The more you complain, the longer you have to wait for me to fill you in…..”

“I hate you.”

“I know. So anyway there’s this guy…..”

By the time he got to the end Sokka had somehow fallen for Zuko  _ again _ which definitely did not help the current situation. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t just avoid the tea shop forever because one, it’s the best tea ever and also two, his sister will probably kill me in my sleep.”

“Well at least you’d go peacefully.”

“Jeeeeettttt…..”

Jet chuckled on the other end. “I know, I know. Look, maybe you read everything wrong or maybe he just has a massive inferiority complex. Either way, isolating yourself isn’t doing you any good. At least go to the tea shop once. What could it hurt?”

“My heart. It could hurt my heart.”

“And staying by yourself for the rest of your life is supposed to make you feel better?”

“...I hate it when you’re right.”

“Love you too. Call me and let me know if you need to cry or something. I still have  _ The Notebook  _ if you need to crash here….”

“Don’t even mention that movie. You know what it does to me!”

“Sokka….”

“He wrote her EVERY DAY! EVERY! DAMN! DAY!”

After Sokka finally calmed down, he admitted to himself that maybe going to the tea shop wouldn’t be the absolute worst thing in the world and he really did miss that tea. He probably wouldn’t even see Zuko there anyway with how busy he was with work. He texted Katara to let her know he was on the way to minimize any awkwardness upon his arrival (assuming that was even possible).

Overall, it could’ve been worse. Sure, Uncle Iroh was there and he was pleasant as ever but so was Azula and she was equally normal, which meant she was shooting Sokka death glares that rivaled Katara’s when she found muddy footprints on freshly cleaned floors. Thankfully, everyone else was there too so he got to listen to Ty Lee go on about her new dance class and Mai tell a few stories from back when they were all little terrors.

Eventually the energy died down and he heard Azula mention something about wondering why Zuko hadn’t come in yet. Iroh said he’d called earlier but Zuko was vague about his reasons for not coming in, something about a workplace injury and he just hoped he was being properly compensated for it. Out of curiosity (and maybe wondering if he could get another workplace safety scandal to put on his resume), Sokka asked where exactly Zuko worked. For some reason, he never bothered to ask before. No one had apparently as the conversation was now heavily tuned in when Azula answered: “Club Caldera”.

Suddenly, some Zuko-related things in Sokka’s world made a lot of sense.

\--------

_ Jet looked like a classic case of “I’m edgy but with a heart of gold”. He was a dropout, orphan, and leader of a small streetgang. Well, less a leader and more a provider. These were all kids with either nowhere to go or who just needed a place to hide. Sokka found himself in need of the latter service about a year after his mother died. Nothing made sense, even after all that time; he felt like he was being left behind or forced to move forward or sometimes both at once and he couldn’t function anymore. So he ran. _

_ Jet let him stay, even if he didn’t strictly need to and let him talk and cry and talk and cry some more. Sokka did go back home eventually but he came back to talk to Jet every now and then. Sometimes it was for advice. Other times, he just wanted to talk. Eventually, talk got to be about Jet and how he was able to support all these kids. He never went into the dirty details but what he told Sokka Sokka about where he worked and what he did was enough for him to put the pieces together. Jet seemed surprised when that didn’t change anything but he didn’t complain and neither did Sokka. _

_ Somehow, they started dating. Well, as much as two people could when they lead vastly different lives with vastly different responsibilities. Sokka found himself becoming Jet’s rock, the person he’d talk to when he was upset but he couldn’t let it show. He started opening up more about his work, even giving it a name. “Club Caldera. Manager’s fine but the customers suck.” Sokka told him he should pitch that to his boss as a slogan. He almost laughed at that. _

_ Sometimes Jet got back from work hurt. Badly. Sokka, at that point with the freedom of being a legal adult, would help out where he could. Sometimes that would only be listening but Jet assured him it was enough. He wasn’t sure about that but he wasn’t going to argue. _

_ One day, Jet stopped coming home hurt. He didn’t even come home sore. “I’ve been demoted,” was all he said. “Some new guy swooped in and took the spotlight. Pay’s still good but I’m worried for the new guy.” _

_ Jet broke it off with him a little after that. “It’s not you. You’re great. We’ve just got...a lot going on for ourselves right now. You get it, right?” Sokka did understand. Classes were demanding and he couldn’t imagine what Jet had to worry about now with even more kids showing up and now not getting his usual pay. So now they were Jet and Sokka, two bros who maybe cared more than a normal amount about each other. And if a certain night club got egged by a few college students later that month, Sokka had no idea what you were talking about. _

\------

“Sokka?”

He startled a bit and realized he’d been quiet for a while. A long while. Azula was giving him That look again. Katara was also giving him her That look. This was not good.

“Something wrong with my brother’s place of employment?” He could’ve sworn the temperature in the shop dropped ot subzero. 

“No. Not at all. People can work where ever they want.” Azula clearly did not believe him. She looked like she was about to ask a question. “Oh, darn! I just remembered I have a deadline! I gotta go!”

He locked himself in his room for the rest of the night. He didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon because he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He couldn’t tell Azula anything because that would be betraying Zuko; there was a reason he didn’t tell his family anything about his work. Well, he assumed they didn’t know anything because Azula hadn’t burned the place down yet. But what was he supposed to do? He had a terrible poker face and everyone had clearly seen something was up. He couldn’t even tell Katara anything because she might tell Azula and he wasn’t going to take that chance.

Going to the tea shop had been a terrible idea. He’d have to tell Jet about that later. Right now, he was just gonna scream into his pillow. It wouldn’t solve his problems or make him feel any better but it was something to do at least.


	6. I Don't Give a Damn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula tries to find out what's going on with Zuko

Azula wasn’t sure what got into Sokka but clearly something was up. Everything seemed fine until she mentioned where Zuko worked. Personally, she never really put much thought into it. Club Caldera seemed like a fine establishment from what she could see. It was a restaurant that provided in-house entertainment and Zuko had been working there for almost five years now with no issue. 

Well, no issue until recently. He seemed to have a lot of work related injuries, which normally she would brush aside as the hazards of physical labor but there was something...odd about Zuko’s injuries. He was always vague about them but he never seemed to go to a doctor or even let Uncle look at them. Now that she thought about it, he’d always been pretty cagey about work too. He didn’t even give them the name of the place until he’d been working there for a few months and even that was after endless asking. He also never said exactly what he did after that promotion….

  
Combine that with Sokka’s strange reaction to just hearing the name “Club Caldera” and Azula was very, very worried.

Zuko had given her a key when he moved out in case of an emergency. She wasn’t going to snoop. Sisters don’t snoop. Sisters get very concerned and then check in on their workaholic brothers with no warning and with the assumption that they aren’t around. Totally different thing.

Her first impression upon entering his apartment was that it looked like no one actually lived there. It was clean, ridiculously so. Not even any stains in the sink. There were no personal effects anywhere save for a few pictures here and there. If the key hadn’t worked, she might’ve worried she walked into the wrong apartment.

Then she heard a noise. A very Zuko-like noise. A very Zuko-is-hurting-like noise.  _ Fuck…. _ Well, she wasn’t going to just leave now when he clearly needed help. So she sucked it up and gently knocked on the door to his room. “Hey…. I was just dropping in to check on you. You haven’t been by the shop in a while. We’re all worried about you….”

“.....”

“Zuko?”

“...I-Is Uncle with you?”

“No. Can I come in?”

“.....”

“Zuko?”

“...Fine.”

Azula entered quietly and sat on the edge of his bed. “...You look terrible.”

“You aren’t exactly the next Top Model,” he grumbled, shifting and hiding under the sheets. 

“Zuko….” She rested her hand on his leg, quickly pulling away when he flinched. “What happened? You said it was a work thing….”

“I didn’t lie to make you less worried, if that’s what your thinking. Occupational hazards exist in all industries. Didn’t expect you to break in.”

“It’s not ‘breaking in’ if you give me a key.” His laugh brought a smile to her face. “Come on, Zuzu, let me patch you up some and then we can talk.”

“About what?”

“Why you never tell me anything anymore. Get up.”

“.....”

“Zuko.”

“No.”

“Zuko.”

“Leave, Azula.”

“No.”

Zuko grumbled something to himself and buried himself further in the covers. “Not coming out.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Zuzu….”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Zuzu.”

“Why do you hate me?”

“Zuuuuzuuuuu.”

“UGH!” He sat up suddenly, almost pushing her off the bed. “Fine, I’m up. I’m alive. You can leave now.”

She froze when she finally saw him. He looked so much thinner than he usually did but that’s probably because he was wearing a far less modest ensemble than his usual long-sleeves-long-pants combo. There were bruises and cuts on his arms and even a few burns here and there. “Zuko…. What-”

“It’s nothing.” He covered himself with the sheets again, leaving only his face visible. “I’m fine. Why are you here anyway?”

“I was worried, Zuko. You didn’t come by the shop and Uncle said you were hurt from work and-.” She sighed. “I worry about you. You’re always away and you never talk to me and then everything with Sokka….”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He pushed his bangs over his face like he used to in high school. “I-I just wanna eat pizza and watch a kids movie and not think about anything for a while. Will you let me do that?”

She hesitated then nodded. “I’ll order the pizza, you pick the movie. We’re having a Sibling Day.”

Sibling Day is a long-standing tradition between them. Whenever one or both of them was having a bad day, they’d just do something that made them feel good and do their best to do nothing else. This included junk food, movie marathons, and the occasional makeover. And if that’s what Zuko wanted, she’d give it to him. No matter how much she wanted to push him in what was wrong, she wouldn’t. She’d just have to trust he’d come to her in his own time.

She texted Uncle to let him know she was staying the night and put herself in Zuko Caretaker mode. While they waited for the pizza, she turned the living area into a pillow fort and made Zuko put on comfy clothes. Then she found some nail polish and face masks (because of course Zuko kept those lying around) and Sibling Day could properly begin.

Hours later, Zuko was asleep on her shoulder and she’d stopped paying attention to the movie a long time ago. She knew Zuko wasn’t happy. She didn’t know why or how but she did need to figure out a way to fix it. Somehow….


	7. Fuck Being a Sober Ho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko is in Crisis and gets some Snuggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no revenge in this chapter. Only angst.

Time passed as time does, somehow both far too fast and not even remotely fast enough. Zuko was surviving through it all with the help of many Sibling Days and friends that didn’t ask too many questions. Even the Sokka Situation had smoothed itself out eventually, even if his heart ached with pure want every time he saw him.

But Azula was thriving. Azula was excelling. Azula was graduating a year early and getting started at an actual job while she pursued graduate school. Sure, she was just an intern and the pay wasn’t great but that’s not what she was after. Seeing her walk across the stage was the proudest moment of his life and he knew there would be more to come. Azula was going to be just fine.

If only he could be sure  _ he _ would be too. It was a strange thought to have, really. He hadn’t thought about his own wellbeing in such a long time, the concept was almost entirely foreign to him. Maybe it was his worryingly increasing bouts of free time. Zhao had been paying him less attention these last few months. It started with him taking Zuko home less often, which he had no real issue with except that it was very strange. He hadn’t taken Zuko home in almost a week now and last night he hadn’t even asked him to sit for a meal. Again, Zuko didn’t mind not being at the hands of that creep every day but this was a Change and Zhao did not make a Change without reason and he could not for the life of him figure out what it was.

Then, Zhao suddenly took him home three days in a row, but with a companion along for the ride. Zuko still got extremely rough treatment but he didn’t shoulder the burden alone. Again, it wasn’t necessarily bad but it was a Change. If Zuko had lower self-esteem, he might start thinking that he missed Zhao and the feeling of being wanted. But he would never think that because he was still somewhat sane after nearly three years of this bullshit. Nope, definitely no denial here.

He could almost convince himself everything was fine. That having someone else along for the ride wasn’t a bad thing or a sign of bigger trouble coming. That Zhao’s seat being empty once a week just meant Zuko didn’t have to worry about being sore the next morning. That there were no whispers of him being demoted in the dressing rooms. He was fine. Everything was fine and normal. Right?

**_You were right about your sister._ **

_ What does that mean? _

**_She doesn’t need anybody’s help._ **

_ I ask again: What does that mean? _

**_I mean “anybody” includes you._ **

_ That doesn’t really answer my question. _

_ Hello? _

**_The number you are trying to reach is unavailable._ **

Zhao stopped showing up at all after that cryptic message. After that, Zuko didn’t receive the demotion he was expecting; he was fired after a week for “not meeting standards.” He didn’t know what they meant by that but he had a feeling he knew the real reason he was fired. But he didn’t have time to dwell on that because now he had to go home and figure out what he was going to do now because there was no way he was going to be able to move back in with Azula and Uncle, not with her doing so well. He just needed to find another job before his funds ran out; how hard could that be?

But he didn’t need to think about that now. Now, he just wanted to shower and drink some tea and maybe something stronger and go to bed and maybe cry. And he was going to do just that except he opened his door to see a very excited Azula and he didn’t know how to say no to Azula even when she wasn’t excited so he put on a fake smile and made the horrible, horrible error of asking what had her so excited.

“Brother, I am here to repay my debt!” Apparently, Azula had found time between work and school to figure out finances for the next few years. It seemed that if everything went according to plan (and it would), she would be able to cover a good portion of the family finances and Zuko could come back home and live with them and “quit that job you hate so much and between my salary and the shop and our savings you could just take a break! Doesn’t that sound nice? You’ve done so much for me and-”

At some point, Zuko had stopped listening. Maybe if this had happened on any other day except today, he could’ve handed it better. Maybe if he didn’t have to deal with the crushing weight of being fired from doing one of the only things he was good at and being kicked to the curb by the most powerful man in the city, this would’ve slid off his back like water. But there was no way of knowing either way because dammit he was still out of sorts from Zhao dumping him and he really didn’t want to deal with the reality of being an unemployed failure and now this? Now Azula comes into his home and basically tells him he’s useless? That she can take care of herself  _ and _ him now so he should just sit this one out like a kid who only ever won participation trophies, while she went out and changed the world? Surely she knew how much it meant to him to be able to provide  _ something _ for her? Why would she-

It suddenly occurred to him that she might know. She wouldn’t know he was fired but maybe she knew what he’d been fired from. He’d caved and told her where he worked but had been deliberately vague about the details. Surely she looked into it and saw what her brother had stooped to, how much he was dirtying the family name. Maybe she’d even told Uncle about it. Was that why she insisted he quit and go back home? Was she attempting to save them from it?

“-ko? Zuko?”

He snapped back to attention. Azula was looking at him expectantly. She looked so damn proud of herself. And she had every right to be proud; she was the perfect child with a perfect future. Zuko was just the failure she needed to cover up. He felt ashamed. He felt worthless. He felt-

Angry.

Furious.

_ Dangerous. _

“What is this?” he snapped. “You think you can just come into my apartment and tell me how you can fix me?”

“What? Zuko, I-”

“No, I get it. Really, I do. You’re the perfect child. You got all the good grades and the early graduation and now you’re already pursuing your dreams. And me? What am I doing with my life? Nothing, right?”

“Zuko?”

“Shut up!” He was going to ignore the way she flinched. “Be honest, are you ashamed? Does it hurt to have an older brother, someone who’s supposed to take care of you, be an absolute failure? I can’t even figure out how to be a whore without fucking things up! I get it!”

“Zuko….”

“No, you’re right. This is ridiculous. I just need to come home and everything will be fine and I’ll just hide away where I can’t screw up anymore.”

“Zuko I didn’t-”

“Quit arguing Azula!” he was breathing heavy now, hands gripping the counter tightly. “I didn’t ask you to fix me! Just leave me alone!” He stomped out of the apartment, almost breaking the door off of its hinges with how hard he slammed it and almost certainly breaking his sister’s heart along with it. In the moment, he didn’t care. He didn’t want to care. He just ran.

He didn’t know where he was going. He just knew he couldn’t be anywhere near anyone right then. He ran down the streets, slippery with rain, as his feet followed a path he wasn’t paying attention to. Tears streamed down his face as voices streamed through his mind, each one vying for his attention with more vigor than the last.

_ Useless. _

_ Worthless. _

_ Even your paying customers don’t want anything to do with you. _

_ Whore. _

_ Zuko! _

That last one sounded suspiciously like his Uncle. He didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to think about that voice getting louder and closer either. He just wanted to cry and scream and not exist for a while. Was that too much to ask?

It took him a few minutes to realize he’d stopped running. He’d fallen, tripped on some sidewalk. He was sitting in front of Uncle’s tea shop, his ankle throbbing horribly. Uncle was sitting right in front of him and he looked...worried? 

“Zuko?”

Suddenly, it didn’t matter that it was raining or that they were in public and people were staring or even that his ankle was probably broken. All that matter was that Uncle was sitting in front of him and looking worried and maybe a little angry at the same time and suddenly he was thirteen again and his face hurt and he was crying and Uncle was there and Azula was safe and that meant nothing else bad could happen because Uncle would fix his bandages and hug and everything would be okay for a bit.

He couldn’t stop the sob building in his throat. He couldn’t stop himself from practically throwing himself in his Uncle’s arms. He didn’t even bother trying to stop himself from having a breakdown on the sidewalk in the rain. Everything fucking hurt and he wanted to cry and scream and have someone tell him that everything was going to be okay and it seemed like that was all going to happen now and he was beyond caring right then.

Everything after that was a little hazy. He was vaguely aware of being moved and then being somewhere dry and soft. He heard snatches of words here and there but he wasn’t really listening. The last thing he remembered was yawning to the sound of Uncle singing to him. For the first time in a long time, he felt safe.

He could be okay with that.


	8. We're Forever Gonna have a Fucking Reason to Sin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drops chapter and scurries away* i'm sowwy. Things just got
> 
> Hard.
> 
> I'm back now though

Azula stared at the door while her brother’s angry stomps faded down the hallway. She was frozen, still trying to process what exactly had just happened. She knew Zuko hated his job and she had a good idea of what exactly that job was but she’d thought he’d be happy at the chance to leave. She never thought he’d be mad about it, let alone yell at her for it.

Some of the things he said though…. She’d initially thought he was just a waiter and had just been promoted up the management chain. 

_ I can’t even figure out how to be a whore without fucking things up! _

Oh.

_ Oh. _

She didn't break down, even if her heart was shattered. She didn't cry, even as tears started forming. She didn't even stop to clean up her materials. She just stepped over the chair Zuko had knocked over, locked the door to the apartment behind her, and pulled out her phone.

"Mai? Call an emergency meeting at your place. We have a problem to solve."

\----------

Azula was the last one to arrive to the meeting, which was shocking for all parties involved. Mai had done an excellent job of turning her living room into a plotting zone, not unlike the ones they used when they were little. She didn't say a word until she took the empty seat in the armchair at the head of the coffee table and the others wisely didn't ask any questions. Everyone was there; not even Sokka could turn down an emergency meeting.

"Thanks for showing up on short notice. I'm sorry to have called this meeting so late but jt's an emergency." She held up her hand to stop any chatter. "Something is wrong with Zuko. Well, I suspect the some _ thing _ is more of a some _ one  _ but I'm not sure yet." She told them what took place that evening in Zuko's apartment, all business aside from the way her voice hitched when she mentioned Zuko running away.

"I don't believe Zuko is angry, I simply think he's scared. This 'Club Caldera' experience did a number on him and I would like to repay the favor. But I can't do that alone; if any of you are willjng, I would like your assistance."

"Of course we'll help." Ty Lee was, unsurprisingly, the first to volunteer. "Zuko's our friend too." Mai agreed with a small nod.

"I'm in." Sokka sat forward, knee bouncing with nervous energy. "I can get whatever intel you need."

"What's going to go into this 'repayment'?" Aang, ever the peacemaker, looked concerned. 

"Depends on what I find out." Azula wasn't going to lie to him. "I can't promise it won't border on illegal or even go right over that line and I won't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"Azula, Zuko is a friend and I want to help but revenge isn't something I can support. I'll help Iroh with Zuko's recovery and cover for you if you need it but I don't think I can join you."

"That's perfectly alright. I know Zuko will appreciate the support." She smiled and turned to Katara, who had remained silent.

Katara, arguably her best friend of thr last few years, stood up and hugged Azula fiercely. "Anything you need from me. You know you don't have to ask."

She had her team. Sokka, the Investigator; Mai, the Weapon's Expert, Ty Lee, the Tech Support Queen; Katara, the Arsonist-in-Training; Aang, the Backup. All she needed now was a plan.

"Alright then. Aang, I need you to go to Unlce Iroh and tell him what happened. If you hurry, maybe you can find Zuko tonight. Sokka, get me everything you can on Club Caldera; I expect a full report in 36 hours. Mai, I need a rundown on what materials we have ready to use. Ty Lee, can you hack the city cams? I need to see what's been going on around the club. Katara, come with me; we're gonna go back to Zuko's place and see if we can find any clues."

She didn't know what she was stepping into but she knew she would come out on top. No one fucked with her brother and got away with it.

_ No one. _


End file.
